Friends of Eater Recall Their Single Best Meals of 2014

December 31, 2014 | Detroit Eater

As is the tradition at Eater, our closeout of the year is a survey of friends, industry types, and bloggers. We've already covered the restaurant standbys, top newcomers, 2014 in one word, best dining neighborhood, and the biggest dining surprises. Now it's time for the single best meal of the year. Readers, please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Steve Wilke, Editor Hour Detroit: Wow...Perhaps it was one of Hour Detroit's Savor Detroit series of dinners last April. Maybe it's because it was our maiden voyage, but that first grouping—James Rigato from The Root, David Gilbert of Marais (our 2014 Restaurant of the Year), and drinks courtesy of Sugar House—made for one heck of a combo!

Courtney Ochab, Editor Detroit Beer Press: My birthday dinner at La Feria. My fiancé and I split a variety of small tapas filled with incredible flavor and drank a variety of local craft brews. Following that, we spent the evening at the DSO watching Ben Folds perform.

Victoria Trudeau, Former Editor Eater Detroit: Torino was where my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary this year, and chef Garrett Lipar's 9-course menu was like dying and going to culinary heaven. The amount of thought and level of execution that goes into each course is astonishing, and we just didn't want the experience to end.

Brenna Houck, Editor Eater Detroit: The Patron Secret Dining Society dinner with chef Kate Williams was incredibly delicious (lamb neck!). I can't wait for her new restaurants to open. The pairing with drinks from Yani Frye at The Sugar House was perfect and everything on the plate and in the glass felt inventive.